The document outlines strategies for fostering collaboration and communication among tech professionals at educational institutions, highlighting the importance of building relationships and structures for effective teamwork. It emphasizes understanding individual strengths, leveraging community resources, and creating a safe environment for open dialogue. Practical tools and scripts for enhancing communication and trust within teams are also provided.

1. Catalyzing Drupal
collaboration & coding
at your institution
@adellefrank #usg12
http://adellef.co/401
Thursday, October 25, 2012 @ 3:15pm
http://www.usg.edu/rock_eagle
USG Annual Computing Conference

2. Who I am & why this matters to me
@adellefrank #usg12
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3. What we will talk about
• Share tools you can use to build relationships &
structures at your school that encourage techies to
collaborate (disclaimer).
• Why this matters to YOU
• 4 communication scripts
• hook_build($community);
• Leverage strengths
• Observe behaviors
• Make it safe to fail
• How to get better?
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4. Script 1: Contrasting to clarify
hook_contrasting() {
$not_bad = ‘I don’t intend disrespect or mean…’;
$is_good = ‘I do respect and intend good…’;
return $clarity = $not_bad + $is_good;
}
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5. Why this matters
• Collaboration: leverage scarce resources
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6. Why this matters
• You get prizes! 
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7. Why this matters
• Collaboration: make work more pleasant &
productive
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8. Who are you & why are you here?
• Who are you?
• Why are you in this session?
– Challenges?
– Desires for this session?
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9. How to build community (a thesis)
If there’s a break in how your functions & variables
communicate, you can get errors or inefficient processing.
hook_build($relationships, $structures) {
$community = $structures + $relationships;
return $community;
}
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10. Structure is a necessary framework
• Consistency
– Places & times to CONNECT.
– Face-to-face: monthly, not weekly
– Virtual places: listserv, wiki, git, right
NOW tools
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11. Structure is organic
• Hierarchical support is key
• But, must be Informal to succeed.
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12. What Structures have you seen?
• What structures and/or tools have worked for you?
• What have not worked?
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13. Recipe for Relationships
• We also need structures and tools that
help us interact and talk with other
people.
– Get to know yourself &
use your strengths
– Get to know others &
make it safe to trust
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14. Script 2: Focusing questions
• Step back from the emotions part of conversation,
to let other part of brain take over.
hook_focusing_questions ($real_wants) {
$myself = $real_wants [0];
$others = $real_wants [1];
$relationship = $real_wants [2];
$myself + $others + $relationship = $intent;
$behavior = $intent;
return $behavior;
}
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15. Know thyself
• Understand how you
interact with the world:
– Myers Briggs
– Enneagram
– Strengthsfinder
– Birkman
• Has anyone used these tools?
• How did they help you?
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16. Leverage your strengths
• Why focus on strengths?
– “people have several times more potential for growth when they
invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their
deficiences”
– (page i, StrengthsFinder 2.0)
• How I used my strengths:
– Introvert
– Input/Activator
– Observer
• What are YOU good at?
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17. Observable behaviors - 1
Data: Words spoken (often express a need).
Tools:
– Be open & curious
– Asking questions to clarify
– Paraphrasing what you think you heard
them saying
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18. Observable behaviors - 2
Data: Body language & facial expression.
Tools:
– Mirroring: mimicking body position/facial
expression
– Paying attention: Eye contact, Lean
forward, Nod, Smile, etc.
– Identify facial expressions, body postures,
gestures (yours & others)
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19. Observable behaviors - 3
• Data: Interaction patterns in different
settings.
Tools:
– Look for Myers-Briggs styles of
communicating: can you adapt your
approach to that style?
– Notice changes in behavior patterns
• Acknowledge observed behavior. “You
seem to be really concerned…”
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20. Leverage your community’s strengths
• Examples at Tech:
– good space for meeting,
– design,
– strategy,
– git server,
– knowledge of community history,
– super coder & sys admin skillsets
• Listening & observing = discover WHO is good at
what in your community & how you can best share.
• What about your community???
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21. Script 3: S.T.A.T.E.
hook_crucial_conversation () {
$S = ‘share your FACTS’;
$T = ‘tell your STORY’;
$A = ‘ask for others’ paths’;
$T = ‘talk tentatively’;
$E = ‘encourage testing’;
return $talk = $S+$T+$A+$T+$E;
}
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22. Creating trust & making it safe
• The Speed of Trust
• Be Intentional
• Be Vulnerable (like dating)
• Fail publicly sometimes & demo incomplete projects
• Ask Qs (if don’t ask, can’t say yes)
• Share answers & offer help
• Be publicly appreciative
• Apologize appropriately
• Be transparent, but honor others’ confidentiality
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23. When communities fail
• No support from hierarchy
• No motivation or interest
• Don’t adapt to change or meet common needs
• Lack of relationships & trust
• Lack of informal, but consistent structures
• What have you seen in failed collaborations &
communities?
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24. Script 4: CRIB for win-wins
• Stay focused on intentions, the WHY, not the how,
so everyone can Win (both + and).
hook_all_win () {
$C = ‘commit to seek mutual purpose’;
$R = ‘recognize purpose & needs behind strategy ’;
$I = ‘invent a mutual purpose’;
$B = ‘brainstorm new strategies’;
return $group_success = $C+$R+$I+$B;
}
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25. Ideas for getting better
• One thing at a time
• One person at a time
• Honor Variety: levels & topics & personalities
– Listservs for lurkers
– How-to clinics for newbies
– Diving deep for developers
– Q&A before/after meetings (or other 1-on-1)
• Involve larger communities (AtlantaPHP)
• Your ideas??
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26. References
• Crucial Conversations (book)
• The Speed of Trust (book)
• StrengthsFinder 2.0 (book)
• http://www.wikihow.com/Read-Body-Language
• http://www.wikihow.com/Communicate-With-Body-
Language
• http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2006/10/27/
18-ways-to-improve-your-body-language/
• http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/kyle.html
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27. Slides & Alpha Code shared here
http://adellef.co/401
@adellefrank #usg12
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